NEW Zealand’s election to the UN Security Council is a victory for small states that shows chequebook diplomacy is not needed to win a spot at the top table, Prime Minister John Key said Friday.
Key vowed that New Zealand would be a “small country with a loud voice” after securing 145 votes in the 193-nation General Assembly to win one of five coveted non-permanent seats on the council, after a tight race against Turkey and Spain.
Australia’s term on the Security Council will expire at the end of this year.
He said he was pleased a nation of just 4.5 million people with modest resources could win, amid concerns in recent years about wealthy nations pledging tens of millions of dollars in aid to developing nations in return for support.